Mindfulness meditation is a practice that crosses boundaries including religion, and can be taken up by anyone, no matter what their resources or knowledge—it doesn’t require years of study. Its importance is in helping us find fulfilment internally, rather than externally, so we can better cope with both the buffeting of life, and of our own minds, as well as loosening our grip on acquisition. It helps us live in the present.

At a practical level, to meditate mindfully is to take an observer’s perspective, and be aware that our minds are generating a stream of thoughts, and our bodies are experiencing feelings and sensations, yet we are more than these. Beyond our “self”, which we construct throughout life, fed by the stories our minds tell us, we have an eternal unchanging presence which we share with everyone else.

This awareness—observing from a distance—is key to accepting ourselves as we are without having to add anything, and a way to “heal and dissolve” our pain. When we realise that our thoughts are almost continuously and automatically generated by our mind, we can choose not to unconsciously believe or act on them.

Although the author talks about mindfulness meditation ideally being a sitting practice, he also points out that it is a practice that can be done anytime, anywhere. “Everything is meditation, there is nothing outside meditation, and we don’t have to be in a certain state of mind before we can meditate. Whatever is in our awareness—that’s it! That is meditation.” (p. 38)

What a revelation—we can make a daily activity our mindfulness meditation practice!

Whatever you choose, immerse yourself in the experience. When you notice you’re caught up in your thoughts or feelings, gently return to the present moment, again and again. Make room for both the comfortable and the uncomfortable. Experience what it’s like to be you, in this moment.

25/02/2012

Anyone who's spent a lifetime dreaming of owning their very own horse could understand my overwhelming excitement at going horse riding recently for the first time in many years. Not only was it a trail ride, there were only two of us, we rode for two hours, along a beach, into the surf, and back through the bush. Absolute bliss!

Where does organising fit into this, you might be wondering? My definition of organising is to make room for what is important and to make it happen: the people and adventurous experiences that really make you feel alive.

Although I rarely get to spend time around horses, just spotting that trail riding sign on a holiday recently, and organising the ride—instead of passing on the opportunity which can be so easy to do—has resulted in a wonderful memory.

Are there any neglected dreams or passions you'd like to make time for?

21/02/2012

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the concept of purpose? Do you feel like you need an ultimate "reason for being" that can direct all your decisions and actions? This instinctual desire for meaning is easy to overcomplicate. Yes, we have purpose, but it cannot be summed up in a finite statement, and we contribute to life and to each other in many profound ways during the course of one day, let alone over a lifetime.

In traditional organising, it is fashionable to draft a mission statement to condense this meaning into a paragraph or a page. Language, however, can frustrate our experience by attempting to define that which is impossible to contain in words. Yes, we can create a short guiding statement to remind us of what is important at this point in our lives, but our purpose can only ever be lived in the present moment.

In his book, A New Earth: Create a Better Life (2009), the philosopher Eckhart Tolle writes that our purpose is in the moment we are in right now, and it is uncomplicated. He uses the example of walking across a room to pick up a book: our secondary purpose is to pick up the book; while our primary purpose is simply to walk.

What a relief! We can throw ourselves into our lives just as they are now—without thinking we need to be more, have more, do more. Regardless of whether we are considering inner (spiritual) or outer (worldly) purpose, we can get on with life, content that we will discover and live our purpose as we go; by simply living each moment.

18/02/2012

It's such a great way to cleanse and refresh a home. One of the first things I like to do on a day I'm at home is to open the windows in the bedrooms, bathrooms, and living areas and let the breeze in.

Research shows that ventilating a house helps to keep dust mite numbers down, particularly by reducing humidity levels, and clearing the air after vacuuming.

Of course, it does depend on the weather, and security considerations.

This time of year—late Summer in Australia—provides perfect airing conditions!

15/02/2012

Most of us are well practiced at writing to do lists, which is great. It would be difficult to keep track of the multitude of commitments and things we need and want to do without writing them down.

By writing an item onto a list, we make a statement about what we intend to do, and this helps to draw it into reality. Likewise, we can more easily clear some of the activity and task clutter from our lives by identifying what we don't want or no longer want to do.

So, for a refreshing change, let's compile a list of things we could stop doing.

Imagine how it might feel to unburden yourself of some of the following "life clutter":

time-wasting habits;

postponed decisions;

tasks that don't add value to your life or anyone else's;

performing a task more often, or to a higher standard, than necessary;

commitments that are expected of you, rather than a priority to you;

routines that used to serve a purpose but are not relevant to your life now;

old hobbies or interests (and their equipment);

anxiety about things you think you should be doing; and

guilt or regret about mistakes and lost opportunities. [In an overall view of your life, are there even any such things as mistakes or missed opportunities? Sure, you might judge or label them as such, but if you can allow yourself to see them from a different perspective—life events that simply "are as they are", that led to learning, growth and often to better things—you might also be able to take a gentler, more embracing view.]﻿

07/02/2012

It's that time of year in Australia when students are back at school. My children attend a small school with no canteen, so I need to pack lunches five days a week.

Here's the system I use to keep lunches sorted for school and work with minimal effort.

The best part is that it takes about thirty minutes to organise it all on a Sunday afternoon, and then only a couple of minutes to toss the components into lunchboxes each morning (good for my slow-to-start brain).

On Sunday afternoon, I:

Make and freeze enough sandwiches for four days (the fifth day is for a special treat or convenience item such as canned tuna).

Cook a lunch dish such as quiche, sausage rolls, risotto or soup, which goes into the freezer in individual servings. The risotto and soup go straight into soup mugs which transfer from the freezer to the microwave to the table—so convenient.

Containerise enough snacks to last the week. I like a dark chocolate/seed mix, so I make up seven containers worth. The kids like more variety, so I put together a basket stocked with grain chips, sultanas, and muesli bars, along with cheese sticks or yoghurt pots in the fridge, and maybe individually wrapped slices of cake or muffins in the freezer.

Now, for the easy part!

In the morning, the kids grab their lunchbox, take a sandwich from the freezer, choose a snack, and add a piece of fruit and a drink bottle. The kids love the independence of filling their lunchboxes themselves, and I don't mind what they put in, because I've pre-chosen and prepared it all.

02/02/2012

For a while now, I’ve regularly subscribed to magazines. However, a busy year combined with a desire to spend time on what means the most to me has meant I’m often frustrated when a new magazine arrives in my mailbox and I know the previous issue is still in my reading pile, unread.

An idea came when I browsed a back issue of my favourite (no longer published) magazine, Notebook. I have two complete years of this high-quality magazine on my shelves. I don't want to give them away, but at the same time they aren’t being read (and if a possession is not an actively used or enjoyed part of my life, I question whether I should keep it).

Anyway, flicking through the past issue, I felt like I was reading a fresh, new magazine.

I decided that once my current subscriptions expire, I’ll pull out a Notebook magazine from the relevant month, and work my way through my collection, month for month. Of course, I can still buy my favourite new magazines, but only when I have time to read them.

By doing this, I will make good use of what I already have, stop bringing in new material that I feel pressured to read and make space for, and save money. I read widely, and magazine topics tend to be recycled, so I’m not worried about missing new ideas in my areas of interest. It feels a bit like I’ll be re-reading a favourite book.

How do you manage your magazine collection? Do you keep and re-read them, or pass them along as soon as you have finished?